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Price differences UK and France


PaulT
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In January 2019 we were in France and about to return to the UK and fit out an en-suite bathroom. We visited some of the DIY stores in France to see if they had anything that appealed for a vanity unit with basin. Castorama, which is part of the group that B&Q in the UK belongs to had the unit that we had seen in the UK but it was quite a difference in price....cheaper so we bought it and the tap which was also cheaper.

We are refitting the 'family' bathroom and decided to go for the same range. The price for the vanity unit and basin £270 in UK and £232.50 (using current exchange rate). The tap £50 and £35.82 - quite some difference.

Yet, when it comes to IKEA the prices in France are always higher than in the UK.
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I don't know if it is still the same but some time ago when I was purchasing a large modular wardrobe the carcass was a more expensive in France than in the UK but the components to fit inside were cheaper than in the UK. Overall for what I bought there was little difference in price.

At the time I put it down to the usual extra cost/distance for transport in France of large/heavy items.

I wonder whether the price difference is now down to the exchange rate. IKEA set a rate at the time of their catalogues and there have been sizeable swings since late last summer. I see there is now a new general IKEA France catalogue but, presumably since they've been closed, they've yet to release a UK version.
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Most of the design work is done in Sweden but from https://inter.ikea.com/en/inter-ikea-group/ikea-industry/

this is for wooden furniture

IKEA Industry consists of 43 production units in 9 countries: China, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, and the USA. We have around 20,000 co-workers. Our top five production countries are Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Portugal and Sweden.

Stainless, china, etc items come from Vietnam, Malaysia, India and other countries.

Kitchen ovens, dishwashers, etc are mostly made by Whirlpool
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IKEA Bordeaux 'adjusted' it's prices exponentially after the makeover of the store, some time ago now. As you so rightly say, expensive tat!

@ the OP, re. bathroom fittings from Castorama, it's worth noting that they're not particularly long-lasting. How to put this...;-) despite 'normal to light' use and decent maintenance, the bondes have rusted, the loo has cracked and some of the cupboard doors have discoloured while the housings stayed the original colour. Not due to sunlight or chemicals, I hasten to add. After just 10 years. Disappointing.
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Prices vary all over the EU, not just between France and the UK.

A friend of ours still recounts when they had bought an article of clothing for their spouse's  xmas present. The label from one of the big brand and very nice clothing companies had a 20€ difference between France and German on it. Germany being cheaper. Our friends live in France, they were not impressed.

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A good friend in France who is by no means poor, complains all the time about the prices these days.

And cheap houses, now that is  quite a different thing. How many pages do you want on that. And the difference between the politics of Mitterand and Thatcher etc etc.

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[quote user="idun"]
Prices vary all over the EU, not just between France and the UK.

A friend of ours still recounts when they had bought an article of clothing for their spouse's  xmas present. The label from one of the big brand and very nice clothing companies had a 20€ difference between France and German on it. Germany being cheaper. Our friends live in France, they were not impressed.

[/quote]

I buy a fair few things from Germany.  Shops which sell online or Amazon.de or just once from ebay.fr but a German seller.

I bought a stainless steel kettle made in Germany and not the Far East and decided on it against a French similar item but about 30% dearer.

We have German cutlery, solid and lovely to look at.

I have bought German clothes on line; great quality and fantastic customer service.

Would you believe, I now read and write German?  Yes, of course, sometimes these internet translators have their uses[:D]

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A couple of weeks ago I needed to purchase 2.5lts Sikkens lasure.  In the past I have always bought it from a UK company for approx. €50 + €10 delivery.  Unfortunately they were out of stock at present.

Using Google, it threw up several locations here in France selling the same article/quantity for prices between €89 and €99 plus delivery.

Fortunately it also threw up a shop in Belgium where I was able to purchase it for €67 with 'free' delivery, as it was my first order.

Never forget that Google is your friend.

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You need to give examples to be able to understand the differences. Were both for delivery to a French address?

If you order on Amazon UK for delivery to France the price will change to account for the different VAT rates. Some companies don't reach the minimum overall annual sales level to foreign countries so I think they can still charge their local rate.

Books on Amazon UK are cheaper than on Amazon France since there is no resale price maintenance which limits French sellers to a maximum 5% discount.

Amazon prices across Europe are not the same for all countries and there are price comparison web sites to help determine the cheapest.
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I have just ordered a lightweight battery vacuum cleaner from Amazon France which was marginally cheaper if counting rate of exchange, delivery costs (Uk delivery to UK for onward private delivery, in A’s car when she can) and VAT. But it was a rare example of lower cost.
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Buy France please....support the country you live in.

That said when the British move to France they buy houses of Brits and pay Brit 'house' prices. LOL..fecking idiots.

Anyway, what is the point of paying VAT to the UK government if you live in France ? They will just waste it on Brexit and a nice 900 k union jack paint job for a plane that nobody will fly in..

I hope that plane can fit Boris's fat gut in. Fat fecking tw°t tw&t tw&t tw&tt, idiot tw&t.

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You are correct. I was thinking of the price change when I bought books which are zero VAT in the UK and 5.5% VAT in France. There are other items with different VAT rates as well but I don't know of a comprehensive table listing the rates.

The main German VAT rate is 19% but is reducing to 16% of 1 July to 31 December 2020.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Alittle ? - Jeepers - what a very nasty, offensive little post.   You vulgar little person.

How about the Fillons then - potential French PM, and like all the enarcs on the fiddle.

Like Chirac and the others.

Can't wait to see what surfaces about Macron and his mum once he leaves office........

You need to get your facts right too before shouting your mouth off.

That plane, with the lovely UK flag on it - will be used by many in the government, and probaby Royal Family as well.

It's returned to normal flying duties so isn't sitting in a hanger anywhere.

And I'd much rather the UK had my VAT money than the eu - see all the money spent by the eu elites on their gravy train standard of living - private jets included.

Can't help feeling someone's not enjoying their sad little life at the moment - aw diddums diddums diddums.

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And Breeeeathe...

I dunno....either your account has been hacked or you have lost your marbles. Either way, I don't really care.

Im off to Montpellier and Nimes tomorrow. I will carry on my sad little life on the beach, in the swimming pool, seeing the local sights whilst enjoying the finest local cuisine.

No air bridges to deal with. Just jump in the car early in the morning with the kids and be on in the beach by lunchtime. Bliss.

Just for you Chessie, anything I need when I am there I will order it from Amazon UK and have it delivered to the flat.

All the VAT I pay to the UK can be used to paint the front part of Boris's plane. LOL.

Vive la Vacance.
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[quote user="chessie"]Alittle ? - Jeepers - what a very nasty, offensive little post.   You vulgar little person.

How about the Fillons then - potential French PM, and like all the enarcs on the fiddle.

Like Chirac and the others.

Can't wait to see what surfaces about Macron and his mum once he leaves office........

You need to get your facts right too before shouting your mouth off.

That plane, with the lovely UK flag on it - will be used by many in the government, and probaby Royal Family as well.

It's returned to normal flying duties so isn't sitting in a hanger anywhere.

And I'd much rather the UK had my VAT money than the eu - see all the money spent by the eu elites on their gravy train standard of living - private jets included.

Can't help feeling someone's not enjoying their sad little life at the moment - aw diddums diddums diddums.

[/quote]

What a bizarre post. Has something wound you up? I’m glad that a few people thing that spending lots and lots of money tarting up an aeroplane and making it unfit for it’s primary purpose is a good thing. I think it’s an awful waste of money when millions o& people are feeling the pinch. As I have chosen to live in France I would much rather pay my taxes here. ALBF is correct about that.

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BinB wrote : I’m glad that a few people thing that spending lots and lots of money tarting up an aeroplane and making it unfit for it’s primary purpose is a good thing. I think it’s an awful waste of money when millions o& people are feeling the pinch. As I have chosen to live in France I would much rather pay my taxes here. ALBF is correct about that.

The plane that Sarkozy ordered is still in (partial) use by Macron .. most of the time it sits unused in its hangar.

Apparently the UK equivalent will be shared among a goodly number of people.

You pays your taxes ..
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My problem is not so much the fact that Johnson felt the need for a paint job to boost his ego. He's PM so if he wants it he gets it, although personally I think there are better ways of improving the UK's image in the international arena. It's the timing that I find appalling. The government wasn't willing to pay for kids to be fed, but it was happy to pay a staggering amount for this. What message did that give out about its priorities?
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